Tuesday, January 14, 2025
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Michael Porter 1/13/25 Tribute to his Sister Sylvia Marie Hailey:
This is the last thing that I've ever wanna do tonight or anytime ever and Anyone that knows me knows I'm definitely not a public speaker. In fact ,If my 2 beautiful grown daughters ( who Aunt Sylvia loved & prayed for )had a chance ,they would probably tell you. I'm "too much "of a private speaker, or too long of a "prayer/blessing the food table at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner table speaker"... but please,please don't give it to their rhetoric. It's only 1/2 true...
This week previously ,I asked them not to put me on the program due to my anxiety about not being prepared enough. However , I loved this woman too much NOT to get up here at this appointed time and place.
I'm sorry I had to read this, but I dare not embarrass my Chairlady Sylvia by geting too nervous and emotional, and bumbling over my words without preparation as she has so well taught me to "b ye ever ready.." so in tears I prepared this last night hoping I would not cry...
"Deaconess Sylvia Marie Hailey": God blessed me to meet her 29 years ago in my life.
I could stand here and talk about her all night and you would never know half of what she represented in life or half of what she knew about life ,scriptures,Kingdomwork ,orchurch ministry ) Y'all DO KNOW THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KINGDOMWORK AND CHURCH OR MINISTRY WORK RIGHT???
But the first thing you would learn about This Sylvia if you really knew her or heard about her is :that she loved our Lord and Savior ,who was the head of her life.
If you really knew her, you also knew that you didn't wanna mess with her when "Marie" came out and not Sylvia!!! especially not until she calmed down and had her Pepsi or Starbucks caramel "Maki Yaki Yaki " . I always made fun of her with that... what's the real name caramel macchiato?? Or latte ? I don't know. U can Confirm that from Duane or Lynnee.
Sylvia wore a lot of hats in my life...
She was & forever will be My Trustee Chairlady Emeritus of The Trustee Ministry of The Pleasant Grove Tabernacle,I was & forever will be her adjutant, she was a spiritual mentor to me,she was one of my leadership teachers, she was one of my family's prayer warriors .She taught me church finance and leadership,She was an example and taught me how to faithfully serve under "the KeyMan "of church ministry . We attended and were both certified in finance leadership classes together.
But more importantly than that
It is under her leadership I learned and lived by her example how to faithfully serve the people of GOD regardless of how you are feeling personally. No matter what else is going on in your life around you personally and how not to let it interfere with the job assignment. GOD Trusted you with.
It is her that I learned to earn the respect of the people you serve with your integrity.
It is her that taught me about ladder holders. She was my ladder holder and I was hers.
It is working with her I learned by experience that if you go up high on the ladder without a ladder holder, chances are that you may and probably will fall ,and get hurt badly if no one is holding your ladder. So ask yourself in your life or any political,corporate or social structure, who is holding your ladder?
I'm not sure if you have heard the expression" life is about relationships" ..But most importantly during those 20+ years we worked together and the 9 years after we both resigned from years of ministry corporate service is ,we prayed for each other ,we both understood that love is an action word and when you truly care & love somebody ,you show them by your faithful service and commitment to that relationship ,whatever it takes to help and encourage them in their good times and also when they not doing so good..to be there for them whether you feel like it or not ,whether you're up to it or not , to be there with them whether you got it or not ,to be there to let them know you're there for them when they are weary and weak ,to help them see a smile on your face when there is not much to smile about, to let them know you are keep fighting for them when they can't fight for themselves , to keep letting the hospital ,doctors and rehab facilities staff know, this is my family member and they are loved and mean the world to you and encourage staff to give your loved one's the best care everyday, to make sure your loved one's faith does not waiver and to be with them to the end and let them know you mean it and to hear her say "I love you"
I was honored (by The GOD Sylvia instilled in her son Duane )to be there in the room with my sister before ,during and after she took her last breath.
But most of all and I close ,by letting you know if you haven't figured it out right now, Sylvia was my Family, my sister and my friend forever.
GOD got the glory by her true dedicated life and faithful service. in the name of Jesus.
